• Job Description

  Req#: 1762

  Overview

  The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks an experienced attorney with a commitment to social justice to fill a position as Civil Action Practice Legal Director.

  The Bronx Defenders is a public defender non-profit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system, and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself. BxD seeks thoughtful, creative, energetic individuals with a strong commitment to social justice to join our dynamic and diverse staff. Our staff of over 450 includes interdisciplinary teams made up of criminal, civil, immigration, and family defense attorneys, as well as social workers, benefits specialists, legal advocates, parent advocates, investigators, and team administrators, who collaborate to provide holistic advocacy to address the causes and consequences of legal system involvement. Through this integrated team-based structure, we have developed a groundbreaking, nationally-recognized model of representation called holistic defense that achieves better outcomes for the people we defend.

  Each year, we defend more than 20,000 low-income Bronx residents in criminal, civil, family, and immigration cases, and reach thousands more through our community intake, youth mentoring, and outreach programs. Through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community organizing, we push for systemic change at the local, state, and national level. We take what we learn from the people we represent and communities we work with and launch innovative initiatives designed to bring about real and lasting change.

  Civil Action Practice

  The Civil Action Practice (CAP) provides comprehensive legal services to the people we represent by fully integrating civil representation with our criminal, immigration, and family defense practices. Our goal is to minimize the severe and often unforeseen fallout from legal system involvement and facilitate the seamless reintegration of the people we represent into their communities.

  Our Civil Action Practice attorneys and legal advocates represent people in every forum in New York City – administrative, state, and federal – to address these problems, and provide comprehensive representation to assist people in overcoming civil legal barriers to housing, eviction, employment, and public benefits, as well as addressing instances of police misconduct, criminal record errors, and civil forfeiture.

  Responsibilities

  Reporting to the Managing Director of the Civil Action Practice, the Legal Director will provide legal support to advocates in the Civil Action Practice.

  Client Representation

  • Carry a reduced caseload and reduced referrals
  • Demonstrate best practices in holistic representation and interdisciplinary advocacy
  • Engage in client intake, counseling, research, writing, oral advocacy and negotiations as a part of legal representation
  • Zealously advocate for individuals navigating proceedings related to barriers to obtaining housing, eviction from housing, loss of employment licenses, correcting criminal record errors, loss of public and disability benefits, forfeiture of property and government misconduct
  • Identify holistic needs and legal goals of the people we represent, make referrals, and work with other attorney and non-attorney advocates to address and mitigate the enmeshed consequences of legal system involvement
  • Effectively litigate, confidently negotiate and skillfully advocate in administrative judicial proceedings and trial with a particular concentration in housing, employment, public benefits and forfeiture proceedings
  • Provide comprehensive, team-based representation collaborating with an interdisciplinary team of attorneys and advocates to assess and address the needs and legal goals of the people we represent
  • Participate in internal working groups to develop best practices across referral relationships
  • Facilitate community trainings and public education on civil legal issues
  • Participate in trainings within the office as well as, on occasion, external community events, conferences and webinars in which BXD is participating or presenting
  • Maintain case files and data in BxD’s case management system

  Litigation Strategies

  • Collaborate with the CAP Managing Director, supervisors and attorneys to identify issues for litigation, including but not limited to the areas of forfeiture, criminal records, benefits, employment and housing
  • Draft and edit model motions and common submissions for the office
  • Supervise the written legal work of attorneys and assist in drafting written submissions and developing legal arguments
  • Assist in creating and leading office-wide legal trainings for staff attorneys and supervisors on topics such as civil proceedings, legal skills, the law, and legal writing
  • Create office-wide legal guides and practice advisories
  • In consultation with the CAP Managing Director, develop areas for affirmative advocacy, litigation and policy reform to address patterns that arise in CAP’s direct services
  • Collaborate with the impact litigation practice to identify systemic civil issues appropriate for strategic litigation
  • Respond to time-sensitive legal questions from attorneys

  Supervision & Mentorship

  • Provide expertise to attorneys and advocates on legal questions as they arise
  • Support CAP attorneys on litigation issues and projects in collaboration with supervisors
  • Inform staff of important legal decisions and issues in the practice
  • Provide back-up supervision
  • Hold regular office hours for the practice

  Programmatic Responsibilities

  • Continually improve our practice by identifying patterns and legal issues to address
  • Work with CAP MD and supervisors to develop and update CAP best practice standards (e.g., retainers, case closing, citation standards)
  • Collaborate with the CAP MD, Director of IT, and Chief Data Scientist to refine practices for capturing CAP data and outcomes
  • Work with CAP MD to improve intra-practice cohesion and collaboration

  Knowledge Management

  • Partner with CAP Training Directors to develop internal and external training materials on civil legal issues
  • Maintain tools for sharing best practices and preserving institutional knowledge, including the CAP Wiki, iBxD and resource bank
  • In collaboration with Training Director, work as the CAP librarian
  • Provide CAP with consistent legal updates
  • Maintain CAP Litigation Tracker
  • Work with CAP MD and supervisors to plan and execute continuing legal education for current CAP staff

  Management

  • Join CAP’s management team
  • Attend weekly CAP management meetings
  • Represent CAP with internal and external stakeholders

  Qualifications

  To be eligible, applicants must have:

  • Membership in good standing or eligibility for admissions to the New York Bar
  • Minimum of 4 years of experience practicing civil litigation

  Applicants must demonstrate:

  • Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities and experiences
  • Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers
  • Commitment to holistic, client-centered representation
  • Commitment to fierce advocacy, and willingness to strategically challenge authority in defense of the people we represent
  • Effective research, writing, and courtroom advocacy skills
  • Strong analytical skills and capacity to employ non-legal resources in cases
  • Passion for teaching legal issues to both attorneys and non-attorney advocates
  • Ability to multitask, maintain order and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
  • Meticulous attention to detail
  • Ability to think critically and creatively in fast-paced settings, finding innovative solutions to unique obstacles
  • Supervisory and mentoring skills, including
    • Interest in and commitment to developing and mentoring staff
    • Ability to provide intentional and constructive feedback
  • Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection and shift behavior accordingly
  • Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
  • Commitment to raising one’s cultural consciousness and challenging oppressive practices on an interpersonal and institutional level

  This is an in-person position

  Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 4-10 years of directly relevant experience, the salary range for this position would be approximately $102,000-$123,000. Full-time employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy. More specific information about salary and benefits will be provided when and if an offer is extended.

  Approximately 70% of The Bronx Defenders' staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO). This position is not within the bargaining unit.

  This position is exempt. By law, nonexempt employees are compensated hourly based on their annual rate and therefore are entitled to over-time, whereas exempt employees are not.

  To apply, please click APPLY TO THIS JOB ONLINE and upload your resume and a cover letter in one document. If you would prefer to send in a video or audio statement in lieu of a cover letter, you may upload your resume as a document and separately upload a video or audio statement instead of a cover letter. Your cover letter or video/audio statement should share why you want to do this work at our office, some key lived and/or professional experiences that have prepared you for this position, and any additional information you would like for us to consider. Your cover letter may be up to one page if written or up to 3 minutes if an audio/video statement. This information allows us to understand your distinct perspective, experience and potential beyond the work history summarized on your resume. If selected for the position, your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience listed on your resume. Therefore, we encourage you to make sure this is up to date. Please remember that you may submit a written cover letter or an audio/video statement, but not both, and applications without a cover letter—in either written or video form—will not be considered.

  Applications will be accepted through January 15, 2024. Please contact Runa Rajagopal, Managing Director of the Civil Action Practice, via email at RunaR@Bronxdefenders.org with any questions regarding the position.

  The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is cultivating an anti-oppressive workplace that embraces staff with a diversity of backgrounds, identities and experiences. We acknowledge the ways in which systemic oppression and injustice can undermine access to professional opportunities and are committed to conducting hiring and promotion processes that are equitable and accessible to those commonly excluded from the workforce. We do not discriminate against and in fact specifically encourage applicants from marginalized communities to apply, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled, neurodivergent and those directly impacted by criminal, civil, family and immigration legal systems. We value lived as well as professional experience and particularly welcome applications from the Bronx community that we work with.

• About the company

  The Bronx Defenders is a nationally-recognized holistic public defender office serving tens of thousands of low-income Bronx residents every year.

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